Design for Change
Design for Innovation
Design for Engagement
Design for Beauty
Design for Imagination
Design for Ideas
Design for Compassion
Design for Music
Design for Clarity
Design for Identity
Design for Interaction
Design for Experience
Design for Understanding
Design for Emotion
Design for Evolution
Design for Union
Design for Aesthetics
Design for Simplicity
Design for Union
Design for Discovery
Design for Pleasure
Design for Life
Design for Courage
Design for Compassion
Design for People
Design for Curiosity
Design for Fun
Design for Knowledge
Design for Stories
Design for Love
Design for Publishing
Class of 2023
Make it Manifest(o)
What (the fuck) happened?
In a lot of ways life is like an ampersand – you start at the bottom and head up, round a loop, then back on yourself before reappearing in a similar place but better for the experience, and hopefully the journey leaves you richer. The trick is to remember the ampersand of life is just a ride, and whether you are at the top of the loop or rounding the bottom, you learn something and as a result you are a different person, but also still the same amazing original ampersand.
The class of 2023 started their lives in the shadow of lockdown. Like all great explorers we went on a curious voyage of discovery. Tutors and students had to unlearn everything. LIVE in real time. The old normal was frozen. Sorry, only one banana! We were forever unsure of how the next announcement from our bubbling PM would change our futures. But out of this eschaton beautiful things happened. The most wonderful of all was to witness an outburst of analogue making and a quiet rejection of screens as a dominating force in our creativity life. Students made cyanotypes, screen printed, rust dyed fabric, cut paper for mono printing, spray painted “covid screens”, used 35mm film cameras despite the cost, we went through a lot of toner using the photocopier to fuck things up, cut paper lettering, embossing, debossing, hand-finishing, book binding, we drew hundreds of skulls on a window with chalk pens, made pens and drawing tools, worked collaboratively on large scale calligraphic drawings and mark making, cross stitched, and the infamous rainbow crochet balaclavas! An art school tutors dream manifest.
Over the past 3 years the class of 2023 have been a joy to learn from. They bravely joined us on an unchartered journey. They have made manifest incredible things from their imagination. They are activists, makers, writers, body paint artists, collage artists, type designers, illustrators, photographers, art directors, curators, fashion designers, primary school teachers in training, future bar owners, book designers, type geeks, story tellers and graphic designers. They have surprised me, inspired me, and made me smile many, many times…
It’s nearly the end or is just eschaton?
Glen
Cult Leader & Course Leader
BA Design for Publishing
Norwich University of the Arts
@designforpublishing
